Removable window with sash balance



Jan. 22, 1957 A. M. STARCK ET AL 2,778,069

REMOVABLE WINDOW WITH SASH BALANCE Filed Aug. 31, 1954 Hmm 46464644644/46/64/4464?3/2// E vnvw REMOVABLE WINDOW WITH SASH BALANCE Arthur M. Star-ek, Norwalk, and William E. Gency, Old Greenwich, Conn., assignors to A. M. S. Corporation, South Norwalk, Conn., a co'poration of Delaware Application August 31, 1954, Serial No. 453318 6 Claims. (Cl. lil-52.2)

This invention relates to windows in which a vertically movable sash is removably held in guideways and in which there is a sash balance that locks automatically in the position which it occupies when the window is removed.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved sash balance for use with removable sashes. One feature of the invention relates to an improved Construction of the means for looking the sash balance automatically when the sash is moved transversely to remove it from the window frame.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a sash balance for a removable sash with looking means that are compact, reliable, and engageable from either directior when a sash is replaced in the window frarne at either a higher or a lower level than that which it occupied when it was disconnected from its sash balance.

One advantage of the invention is that the Construction iS particularly well-suited for use with double hung sash, though it is not limited to windows having double hung sash. Another feature of the invention relates to a particularly simple and efiicient Construction of the guide- Ways in which the sash is moved up and down in the frame.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding paris in all the views;

Figure 1 is a sectional View of a double hung window embodying this invention, the section being taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 2 but with a greatly reduced scale;

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a vertical view, mostly in section, showing the sash balance and the means for connecting it with the window sash, the section being taken on the line 3- 3 of Figure 2 but with a reduced scale; and

Figure 4 is a sectional View, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 1 shows a window frame 10 located in an opening in a wall 11 of a building. The window frame has guideways 12, best shown in Figur-e 2, and these guideways are preferably of one-piece construction with a parting strip 14 formed by an inv-erted channel at the center of the metal strip from which the guideways 12 are constructed. At their remote side edges, the guideways 12 have flanges 16 which engage in a fold 18 at oppo-site side edges of a metal channel 2@ which conprises a part of the window frame.

The guideways 12 are held in the full line position, shown in Figure 2, by leaf springs 22 conned between the channel 20 and the back faces of the guideways 12. There are several of these springs 22 at dilierent locations along the length of the guideways 12, and each spring can be connected to either the guideway or the channel 20 provided that it is connected at only one location along the length of the spring so as to permit the other portions nent of the spring to move endwise as the spring is flattened out when the guideways 12- are retracted into the dotted line positions, shown in the drawing. This retracting movement is providedso as to obtain clearance at the other side of the window frame for removing the sashes from the iframe. A weather strip 25, made of sponge rubber, or other suitable compressible material, is held in the inverted channel 14 and contacts with the center portion of the channel 20 to prevent leakage of air from the space behind the outside guideway 12 into the space behind the inside guideway 12.. With this weather stripping 25, it is not necessary to have air-tight seals between the flanges liti and the sides of the channel 20.

There is an inside sash 31 which slides in one of the guideways 12 and an outside sash 32 which slides in the other guicleway 12. in accordance with conventional construction, the sash 31 is the lower face and the sash 32 is the upper face. In Figure 2, only one edge of each of the sashes 31 and 32 is shown in order better to illustrate the guideways in which the sashes slide. Opposite sides of each sash are shown and it will be understoo d that the corresponding sides of the different sashes are of similar Construction. t

On the right-hand side of the window frame, there are guideways 35 and`36 for the sashes. These guideways are preferably formed of a single piece of metal with folds and angular bends as illustrated so as to form Channels for receiving the sides of the sashes, but with the center portions of the Channels open throughout substantially their entire length for accommodating sash balances which will be described. No weather stripping is necessary behind a metal element 38 from which the guides 35 and 36 are eonstructed because this metalelement 38 is Secured to the fixed part of the window frame i@ and comprises a part of the fixed window frame.

The ridges of the guideways 35 and 36, which contact with the edge faces of the sashes, are indicated by the reference character 40 and the space behind these ridges &t provides a` housing for receiving the sash balance, though portions of the sash balance extend between the ridges 40, as best illustrated in FI' gure 2.

Figures 2 and 3 show the Construction of the sash' balance. A coil spring 44 is located in the upper portion of the window frame and is held against rotation by screw 46 which is merely representative of means for anchoring the upper end of the spring 44 to support it while preventing the upper end from turning. At the lower end of the spring 44 there is a siider 48 rigidly connected to the spring. A twisted Connector element 56) is made from a bar, preferably a fiat bar, twisted about itscenter or longitudinal axis, so as to provide a fast pitch thread. This twisted Connector element S il extends through an opening in the Slider 48. The opening in-the Slider is of a cross section to fit the twisted Connector element so that movement of the Connector element 50 with respect to the Slider 48 -causes rotation of the slider with respect to the Connector element Sii.

The lower end of the connector element 5@ is attached to a bracket 52, best shown in Figure 4, and this bracket slides up and down in the housing provided by the metal' element 38 behind the ridges 40. The connection illustrated is a pin 54. Although the bracket 52 slides freely in the housing, it is shaped to prevent its rotation in the housing and the Connector element 50 is thus held against rotation at its lower end. Movement of' the bracket 52 up and down in the housing causes the con nector element 5% to move through the Slider 48- and to rotate the Slider and Wind the spring. The direction' of twist of the Connector element 50 is'such that thespring 44 is wound tighter as the connecter element 50 moves downwardly.

This sash balance, which is a conventional Construction, exerts an upward pull on the bracket 52 as the result ef the spring reaction tending to rotate the slider 43 in a direction te screw the connecter 50 upwardly. In order to have the Upward pull of the sash balance substantially equal for all positions of the sash and fer the corresponding difierent amounts of twist of the spring, the pitch of the twist of the connecter element 50, changes progressively along the length ef the connecter element. The

change in pitch is cerrelated with the force of the twisted spring so that there is a reductien in the mechanical advantage obtained from the thread of the connecter element 50 which compensates the greater force exerted by the spring when the spring is wound progressively tigher. This sash balance is disclosed in Patent Ne. 2,477,069.

The spring 44 is covered by a shield 57 which hides the spring from view when the window sash is in a lewered position. This shield 57 extends part way down the length ef the sash guide, and extends under a slide 59 which is connected at its lower end te the bracket 52. This slide 59 has side fianges which extend behind the ridgcs 40 of the guideway, as is best shown in Figure 2. This slide 59 moves up and down as a unit with the bracket 52 when the sash is raised and lowered, as will be more fully explained. The shield 57 (Fgure 3) telescepes into the slide 59 as the slide moves up and down. The length of the slide 59 is sufiicient so that its uppr portion will cover the lower end of the shield 57 whei' the slide 59 is in its lowest position.

There is an opening 63 in the slider 59 near its lower end. There are jaws 65, of the bracket 52, extending through this opening 63. These jaws 65 provide a secket fer receiving a latch 67 (Figure 4). This latch 67 is attached te the sash 32 by screws 69. The latch 67 is located in a groove 70 extending along the entire length of the sash 32.

The advantage of having the groeve 70 extend for a substantial length along the sash 32 is that this makes it possible to insert the sash inte the window frame at different levels from that which the sash occupied when it was removed from the window frame. If the greeve 70 is to extend fer a substantial length of the sash, then the manutacture of the sash is simplified by having the groove extend fer the entire length even though the upper end of the groove can never move down far enough to receive the jaws 65 of the sash balance bracket.

In order te lock the sash balance down in the the position which it occupies when the sash is removed, there is a brake 74 connected to the bracket 52 by a pivot 76. This brake 74 is urged into contact with the inside surface of the metal element' 38 by a spring 78 cempressed between the brake 74 and the connecter element 50. lt will be evident that this spring 78 can just as well be compressed against any part of the bracket 52, or any other part of the sash balance which moves as a unit with the bracket 52.

The brake 74 can be constructed as a simple frction brake, but in the preferred Construction shown in Figure 4, the end of the brake 74 is disposed at an angle which causes it to jam against the surface of the element 33 along which the bracket 52 and brake 74 move when the sash balance slides up and down. The brake 74 may also have a sharp edge for digging into the surface of the frarne element 38. In any event, the brake 74 is constructed so that the pressure of the spring 78 is suflicient to produce a braking force greater than the upward pull of the sash balance. This insures that the sash balance will be locked against upward movement when the brake 74 is applied.

In order to release the brake 74, when the sash is in place, there is a lever 80 extending into the socket provided by the jaws 65. This lever 80 is preferably an extension of the brake 74, and when it is moved into the dotted line position shown in Figure 4, the brake 74 is moved away from the frame element 38, and the bracket 52, together with the other parts of the sash balance, are free to move up and down.

Figure 4 shows the latch 67 in dotted lines, extending into the secket between the jaws as it does when the sash is in its working position in the guideways. The extent to which the latch 67 extends inte the socket provided by the bracket jaws 65 depends upon manufacturing tolerances; and it is determined by the contact of the edges of the sash with the ridges 40 (Figure 2) of the guideway.

The movement of the latch 67 into and out of the socket provided by the bracket jaws 65 is obtained by meving the sash away from and toward the guideway 12 on the side of the frame opposite the sash balance. This type of removable Window, in which the sash is pushed against a retractable guideway te provide clearance to remove the sash from the guideway on the other side of the frame, is a type of window well understeod in the art.

The preferred embediment ef the invention has been illustrated and described, but changes and modifications can be made and some features can be used in difierent combinations without departing from the invention as defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A window including a sash, a frame having guideways in which the sash slides, the guideway on one side of the frame being movable to provide clearance for removing the sash from the frame, a sash balance, a detachable connection between the sash balance and the sash, and means fer looking the sash balance in the position it occupies at the time the sash is removed, said means cemprising an Operating element that is actuated by removal of the sash, and a spring-pressed lock that contacts with a surface extending parallel to the guideway.

2. A window including a sash and a frame having guideways in which the sash slides up and down, one of the guideways being retractable and having resilient means pressing it into engagement with the sash, a sash balance on the side of the sash opposite the retractable guideway, a detachable connection between the sash balance and the sash and a lock fer holding the sash balance down when the sash is removed, .the lock including an element that eperates in response te movement of the sash in a direction to retract the guideway.

3. The window described in claim 2 and in which there are double hung sash including both upper and lower sashes with two parallel guideways on each side of the frame fer guiding the sashes, and in which each of the sashes has a retractable guideway with resilient means urging it toward the sash, and both sashes have balances with similar means for looking the balance when its associated sash is moved te retract the guideway preparatory' to removal of the sash from the frame.

4. A window including a sash and a frame with guideways in which the sash slides up and down, one of the guideways being movable to provide clearance fer remeving the sash from the frame, a sash balance cemprising a coil spring connected te a slider that travels en a twisted connecter element which Winds the spring as the twisted connecter element moves up and down, a detachable connection between the connecter element and the sash including a latch and socket, one of which is on the sash and the other of which is fastened to the connecter element, and a lock fer holding the connecter element in the position it occupies when the sash is removed, said lock including an Operating element responsive te transverse movement ef :the sash.

5. The window described in claim 4 and in which the twisted connecter element has a variable pitch along its length equalizing the lift of the sash balance with different amounts of twist of the spring, and in which the lecking means include a spring-pressed looking element which operates along a surface parallel te the guideway.

6. A window comprising `a frarne, arallel guideways along one side of the frame for guiding corresponding edges of upper and lower sashes, a holder for the guideways and in which the guideways are movable transversely toward and from an adjacent side of the frame, spring means at spaced locations along the guideways urging the guideways away from the adjacent portion of the window frame and toward the inner side of the guideway holder, a resilient scaling strip' located between the guideways and confined between the guideways and a portion of the guideway holder, other parallel guideways extending along the other side of the frarne for guiding the other sides of the upper and lower sashes, a sash balance for each of the sashes, each sash balance including a coiled torsion spring with its axis extending panallel to the other guideways, a bracket assembly at the lower end of each sash balance, a connector Secured at its lower end to the bracket assembly and having a twisted portion extending upwardly through a slider attached to the lower end of the spring for causing wnding and unwndng of the spring in response to movement of the bracket assembly downwardly and upwardly, respectively, a brake lever pivotally connected to the bnacket assembly, a spring urging one end of the brake lever into engagement with a vertical surface of the frame -to prevent movement of the bracket assembly upwardly and downwardly, an opening in the bracket assembly at the end of the lever remote from the end which engages the frane, an element carried by each of the sashes for connecting the sash to the balance which is associated with the guideway for that sash, each connecting element being shaped to fit into the opening in the bracket assembly and being large enough to push the brake lever out of engagcment with the surface of the frame with which the lever engages to hold the sash balance against movement upwardly and downwardly, and surfaces on the sash connector and .the lower end of the bracket assembly shaped to move across one another With a cam action to bring the sash Connector into position for engaging the bracket when the sash connecter is moved upwardly from a level below the lower end of the bracket assembly, the transverse travel of the first guideways being sufi'icient to clear the other edges of each sash from the guideways with which they eng age and to clear the sash connectors' from the brackets of the sash balance.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,640,222 Trammel et al. June 2, 1953 2,662,255 Serley et al Dec.- 15, 1953 2,663,896 Trammel et al. Dec. 29, 1953 2,688,165 Kinish Sept. 7, 1954 

